Good versus bad steering practices...

[e9nine]

I just noticed that I have a bad habit of sometimes letting the steering wheel "return" to its position by briefly letting go of it then catching it....I noticed myself doing it sometimes during auto-x since I think its faster than manually returning the wheel to it position. I am trying to improve every aspect of my driving and wanted to know how many of you guys out there do this or hear what you have to say.

Another time I find myself doing this a lot is when doing a full single circle (360 degree) donut or half circle donut...the wheel naturally spins back to the center..

Is this really bad? I do use two hands to steer when driving "aggressively" if that makes any difference.

[modifiede30]

I wouldn't do this mainly due to the lack of predictability. It also isn't as smooth as returning the wheel slowly during trackout. Maybe it depends on settings but I wouldn't do this on a track. You won't have as much control when if your hands aren't the force moving the wheel. Also, if the wheel were to return to center too quickly during a trackout, it would likely unsettle the car.

[TIATO]

NEVER let go of the wheel at ANY time. For the same reasons Modified E30 said, but also for wheel orientation.

In the heat of the moment a steering wheel that looks normal could just as easily be one full rotation over. Chaces are you will also look at the wheel rather than where you are going.

When ever you let go of the wheel with both hands, you are relinqushing control of the car and put it in the capable hand of physics. You become a passenger.

Keeping both hand on the wheel will make you smoother. Smooth is fast, predictable and safe. Smoothness is the key and often the hardest part of improving your driving skills.

When I drive on the track or on the street, my hands are at 9 and 3. On the street I initiate my turns just like i do on the track - look ahead, turn in smoothly, keep a constant arc through the turn (with minimal corrections) and unwind smoothly.

[e9nine]

thanks for the tips guys...I can safely say this is one of my major bad practices.

On another note, have you guys ever timed how fast you can turn from dead center to right full lock, back to center and then left full lock and back to center?..of course you need a decent amount of space to try this out..Its really fun when doing this in the snow but doing it on dry ground with traction is not as easy...try it one day and let me know your timing :)

I kinda use this to learn rapid correction in the event that the car gets a little tail happy, granted you will never turn to full lock and get this crossed up its still nice to be able to have fast "steering" arms

[RedBaron86325]

I kinda use this to learn rapid correction in the event that the car gets a little tail happy, granted you will never turn to full lock and get this crossed up its still nice to be able to have fast "steering" arms

Work on using the accelerator pedal to help you steer rather than just the steering wheel. I'd like to see an on-board camera of Randy Walters during an autoX. From a distance anyway, it appears that he uses very little steering wheel input to smoothly negotiate even the tightest of corners. I've never seen his arms flailing around the cockpit like some other drivers...LOL

[e9nine]

Randy uses very little steering wheel input to smoothly negotiate even the tightest of corners. I've never seen his arms flailing around the cockpit like some other drivers...LOL

..he he that used to be me...I am smoother with my steering now than before...My rear tires are a little bit beyond worn out so I cannot try the throttle steering yet...The line you take through a turn also kinda determines your steering input...I am still aiming to get 90% accuracy with the lines...the tricky part for me is memorizing the "hard" turns on the course within the walk and first lap...bad memory here... he he

[shadowracer]

For those of you who say not to let go of the wheel, there really is no need to on a track, you should be able to make any turn on a track with no more than 90degrees of wheel turn, or less. As far as "letting go" I wouldn't think that it be a bad thing to let the wheel slide thru your hands, as stunt driving schools show you how to do this at full speed, in dry and wet conditions, and totally under control.
Ultimately it depends on what "conditions" the road, or track is in. Is it wet, dry, smooth or rough, these are all variables. :roll:
I've done both, not let go, and have let the wheel slide thru. If you think you can correct a slide by "you" physicly moving the wheel, you can posibly over correct it, and end up in more trouble than you started with. I've seen it done many times, a car slides one way, the driver over corrects, and ends up facing the direction they came from, only spinning from the other direction they were sliding from.

[Giorgio]

RedBaron86325 wrote:

I'd like to see an on-board camera of Randy Walters during an autoX. From a distance anyway, it appears that he uses very little steering wheel input to smoothly negotiate even the tightest of corners. I've never seen his arms flailing around the cockpit like some other drivers...LOL

ya, randy is gnarly, i want to ride with him.

[Mike]

I find myself doing the same exact shit sometimes. Just make sure when you to go to catch the wheel in full countersteer, grab the wheel with one hand first at the 12 o'clock position. Go ahead everybody, frown all you want on my steering tactics. I think I do a damn good job of it actually.

[Flood]

For AutoX, shuffle steering is highly recommended. Good read here

[e9nine]

For AutoX, shuffle steering is highly recommended. Good read here

Thanks man, always looking to improve any practical bit...

[Tuff240]

I had one instance at an autocross this weekend that it felt like I ran out of arm movement during a turn. Usually I sort of do that shuffle movement thing, but this was a rare instance where I had to turn the wheel really fast and really far to try to stay on my line. I don't even remember what I did actually. It just all kinda happened. I don't usually have to think while driving, I just drive. This stood out because I had to stop and think for a split second. It felt really weird.

Basic reason was because I had shitty tires and shitty suspension on a shitty car....lol. I still made the corner okay though considering the equipment. ;)